October 2011

10/25/2011

Depending on the subassemblies we use in Civil 3D, we may find it quite difficult when it comes to creating quick corridor surface Boundaries. For example, if we have varying subassemblies with varying codes for tie/daylighting slopes the “Boundaries > Add Automatically” function isn’t as useful as it sounds. We rarely get the results we want.

Try This Trick!

Trick Civil 3D into creating our boundary automatically. Some may already know this trick but for those that create single baseline corridors you most likely have never seen this. If a corridor has more than one baseline then when creating a corridor boundary, a new option for “Create Boundary from Corridor Extents” suddenly appears! I personally believe this should be included in a single baseline corridor. It is extremely useful.

Our Initial Corridor (Single Baseline)

The image above shows that there is only one baseline in our corridor. The image below shows the options we have for creatnig boundaries based off of the corridor design and the subassemblies used within it.

Temporary Additional Baseline

We can trick Civil 3D to automatically add the "extents" of our corridor surface as a boundary. The catch is that we must add at least one additional baseline to the corridor. The image below shows the addition of a baseline. The alignment and profile is not important because after the "extent" boundary is applied, we're going to remove the the temporary baseline anyway.

Notice the image below. After we applied the additional baseline, an option for "Corridor extents as outer boundary..." suddenly appears! To apply this as a boundary just select it. Then be sure to go back to the Parameters tab and remove the temporary baseline.

Select OK and the boundary will be applied as expected to your Corridor Surface.

10/21/2011

What is Infrastructure Modeler?

Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler is a new software solution released recently to help the civil engineering community produce presentation quality conceptual designs. As the civil engineering community moves forward with technology, I see this solution replacing the public hearings’ aerial images pasted on a foam board. Companies can now use the projectors or computer monitors they already have in the office to show these designs in color and in 3D! This modeler has some familiar features that you may have used in Civil 3D and also includes the ribbon interface we have all come to know and love. If you have ever poked around on the Autodesk Labs web site, you may have seen this there under the name of Project Galileo.

What type of data does it use?

Infrastructure Modeler used a wide variety of data. Starting with the AutoCAD DWG, we can import and stylize our dwg data by selecting a type for each material brought in. LandXML data can also be imported to display Civil 3D alignments, surfaces, pipe networks etc. Once a design has been imported it can be themed to show a rendered roadway with buildings, light poles and even fire hydrants. This isn’t to say that some of these things can’t be accomplished in Civil 3D but they just aren’t this easy! GIS data in the form of SDF or SHP files can be imported as well as other data types. The data can be as simple as the aforementioned dwg or as complex as several types of Oracle databases.

When is it available?

You can purchase this powerful tool right now!! It is not currently part of one of the new suites but here is to hoping that will happen in the future. You can download a trial version from Autodesk.com and then purchase it from your local reseller.